tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post5726051455953021639..comments2024-03-29T21:11:37.724+10:00Comments on down to earth: There is balance in most healthy systemsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-66198137804643236832009-03-23T12:25:00.000+10:002009-03-23T12:25:00.000+10:00Since I have started to be a stay at home wife (no...Since I have started to be a stay at home wife (not by choice but because of moving into another country and still waiting for my working visa) I have begun to enjoy being at home and baking bread, sewing, crocheting. At times I hope I never have to go back to work I am enjoying living such a more simple life!Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919793216222224648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-66311680183611224092008-06-15T07:09:00.000+10:002008-06-15T07:09:00.000+10:00Thank you all for your lovely comments.Renee, I ne...Thank you all for your lovely comments.<BR/><BR/>Renee, I never think that there is a lot to do. I just work according to the weather. If it's cold outside, or too hot, I work inside. When I'm tired of being indoors I go outside and work. There are things that I always do at the same time - making bread so it's ready for lunch; I make the bed after I have breakfast. I prepare food around lunch and dinner times. If I don't get something done, I don't care. Most things will wait.<BR/><BR/>Slowing down and concentrating on what I am doing took me quite some time. I used to be a really fast thinker, doing many things at the same time. Stopping that took ages. For me, it was a matter of concentrating, and bringing my self back when my mind drifted to something else. Now I am mindful of most of what I do, but I still wander at times. I think it's a habit that you have to train your mind to do.<BR/><BR/>Good luck with your house sale, Donetta.<BR/><BR/>Christine, can you move your furniture around, or paint the walls? Often change doesn't take much effort.<BR/><BR/>Good for you Angie! That's great. Last year we painted with a creamy yellow called Milk Maid and we love it.Rhonda Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00175785349529109084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-67368810821521568212008-06-14T08:55:00.000+10:002008-06-14T08:55:00.000+10:00Hi Rhonda, Years ago I read a quote about "findin...Hi Rhonda, Years ago I read a quote about "finding the mystical in the mundane, the sacredness in the ordinary"... your post reminded me of this - something I have been searching for and I think I may have stumbled across it with simple living & slowing down. I wake up with more joy these days! Many thanks TamaraTamarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091787858652776030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-21160234395236056012008-06-14T03:48:00.000+10:002008-06-14T03:48:00.000+10:00What a wonderful, uplifting post. Thank you for al...What a wonderful, uplifting post. Thank you for all you write, with wisdom.juleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16351247097680979735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-72627870925407254842008-06-14T01:48:00.000+10:002008-06-14T01:48:00.000+10:00Rhonda,I love your posts. You seem to have a knack...Rhonda,<BR/>I love your posts. You seem to have a knack for inspiring me and making me hungry! As for Fluffing my nest, I have plans to paint my livingroom and dining room walls soon. I has taken me a long time to decide to do this because my walls are not normal walls, they are wood siding. I liked it at first but because there are no windows (only sliding glass doors) it makes it very dark and gloomy in the house. So, I'm going to paint the wood siding walls a sandy white color to brighten it up, wish me luck!!!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for inspiring me once again!Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17219027826284514702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-57575434845021360122008-06-14T01:17:00.000+10:002008-06-14T01:17:00.000+10:00Man, I can't wait to sit down and really read thes...Man, I can't wait to sit down and really read these last couple of posts...I need all the help I can get with learning to downsize and live simpler, as we're quite over our heads financially at present. Thanks for the great tips!Melanie J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03701919968159394274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-23629691580286175552008-06-14T00:16:00.000+10:002008-06-14T00:16:00.000+10:00Thank you for taking the time to share.My hubby as...Thank you for taking the time to share.<BR/><BR/>My hubby asked me why I like folding laundry so much. I told him because it's the one thing I do where I am totally focused on it. I don't think of anything else. I enjoy folding laundry because I know of the peace of mind it brings me. It makes me slow down.<BR/><BR/>I've learned to enjoy cooking too but only if I have the time to do it. If I'm in a hurry then I won't cook, that's merely food assembly like in a factory. When I have the time to slowly cook I also enjoy what I eat. If I'm in a hurry then food merely provides sustenance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-64609924225787764202008-06-13T21:58:00.001+10:002008-06-13T21:58:00.001+10:00Rhonda, once again you have captured the essence o...Rhonda, once again you have captured the essence of what I feel and expressed it more beautifully than I ever could.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your lovely words and inspiration.Cherihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11388528649168161483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-69967794512043078462008-06-13T21:58:00.000+10:002008-06-13T21:58:00.000+10:00Just wanted to add, I mean I get bored of looking ...Just wanted to add, I mean I get bored of looking at our furniture and our interior, not the pigeons and their nest! :-)<BR/><BR/>ChristineChristinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11078340690256967729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-8265308491239096592008-06-13T21:56:00.000+10:002008-06-13T21:56:00.000+10:00Fluff the nest, I love that expression. :-) I see ...Fluff the nest, I love that expression. :-) I see pigeons nesting from my kitchen window and they do it all the time. Most of their day is filled with either working on or fluffing the nest. I guess you're right about making it a real home, but the only problem I have is that sometimes I get so bored by the way it all looks. Perhaps because I'm home all day, I don't know. Maybe I just spend too much time staring at it, lol.<BR/>You're a wonderful blogger, Rhonda. I really hope your bookwish will come true.<BR/><BR/>Christine from the NLChristinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11078340690256967729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-25749748985624485122008-06-13T21:07:00.000+10:002008-06-13T21:07:00.000+10:00Another excellent post Rhonda.....This morning we ...Another excellent post Rhonda.....<BR/><BR/>This morning we went and changed our library books and nipped to get some fruit and veg for the weekend......I started off my store cupboard with rice lentils and dried beans...........its only a little, but oak trees grow from little acorns.......<BR/><BR/>Last year we grew drying beans, but none of the seed came up this year, hence the packet, O use beans to bulk up meat in casseroles and stews.<BR/><BR/>Now a plea.........someone I think it was Fifi contacted me yesterday about quilting mags, your email address was not accepted, can you go to my blog and tell me that you have sent an email to the address on there....thanks.....sweet blondie blue eyeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10415902997410295811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-55455040665370121152008-06-13T20:48:00.000+10:002008-06-13T20:48:00.000+10:00My children love being home. My son would rather b...My children love being home. My son would rather be here and watch a movie we own then go out and see one at a theater. My daughter is growing in skills too. They are learning independence not dependence on a false security that is collapsing all around us. They would rather enjoy what comes from their own hands as do I. I so look forward to this big house selling so we can own our home outright.Donettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530145585581721795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-82741980470357321742008-06-13T20:47:00.000+10:002008-06-13T20:47:00.000+10:00Thanks for the beautiful post and the reminder. Yo...Thanks for the beautiful post and the reminder. You are absolutely right. When you slow down, even washing dishes can become a kind of meditation and a peaceful joy, rather than a chore. I must confess to being always in a hurry these days. Thank you for the reminder to slow down.<BR/><BR/>And yes, there is a real pleasure in being able to give your family and friends your own produce. I get a real buzz out of the children in summer reaching for a cob of sweet corn straight from the stalk or the early morning joy of picking the raspberries with my partner's son.<BR/><BR/>Thank you so much for this beautiful post. xxnaturewitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05612495206869016620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-58267912220100539612008-06-13T15:58:00.000+10:002008-06-13T15:58:00.000+10:00To stop multi-tasking has been one of the hardest ...To stop multi-tasking has been one of the hardest things on my journey. I am always thinking of the next 'job' to do and when I need to do it. <BR/>Today will be ' Do one thing at a time Day' and if it's not all done well then there is tomorrow. <BR/><BR/>Thanks you for your words of encouragement each day.<BR/><BR/>Have a happy day.<BR/><BR/>PippaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-39030041563861119462008-06-13T14:57:00.000+10:002008-06-13T14:57:00.000+10:00Thanks for the balance you have provided. I am ma...Thanks for the balance you have provided. I am making changes little by little, but they are adding up gradually to become a better life. I am off to bake right now, so my son can have something homecooked to eat when he comes home from school. I can feel the love already!pattihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06293378341445115577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-76157127861588663242008-06-13T14:51:00.000+10:002008-06-13T14:51:00.000+10:00Hi Rhonda, I was thinking of this very issue this...Hi Rhonda, I was thinking of this very issue this morning as I folded and stuffed my freshly dried in front of the fire nappies. The pleasure I get from stuffing, folding and smoothing these things is my guilty secret! Lisa J (p.s. brrrr..just started snowing here this afternoon!)The Tin Househttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03422547957232680227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-29906508714377997072008-06-13T14:34:00.000+10:002008-06-13T14:34:00.000+10:00Thank you for the wonderful essay. It sums up wha...Thank you for the wonderful essay. It sums up what I feel so completely, but I am not so eloquent...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-39986961482919044942008-06-13T12:20:00.000+10:002008-06-13T12:20:00.000+10:00Rhonda,I am still learning to slow down. I am alwa...Rhonda,<BR/><BR/>I am still learning to slow down. <BR/><BR/>I am always doing something and thinking ahead of what I need to do next.<BR/><BR/>I suppose I might not be enjoying what I might doing because I am in too much of a hurry to get it done.<BR/><BR/>Rhonda how do you stay in the moment? I am sure you have a list of things you would like to do....how do you know what to do first? <BR/><BR/>Do you do a little bit of yard work and then house work then stitchery? How do you manage your time when there is so much to get done?<BR/><BR/>Now that is gardening season here we could spend our whole day in the yard but I would like to spend sometime working on my stitching:)<BR/><BR/>Many blessings,<BR/><BR/>ReneeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-79325073899600860282008-06-13T09:42:00.000+10:002008-06-13T09:42:00.000+10:00Dear Rhonda,Not only are you so wise, but you are ...Dear Rhonda,<BR/><BR/>Not only are you so wise, but you are able to express yourself so eloquently on your blog. <BR/><BR/>elaineAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-74225089893159911722008-06-13T08:55:00.001+10:002008-06-13T08:55:00.001+10:00Thank you!Such good feelings flowed out of that po...Thank you!<BR/><BR/>Such good feelings flowed out of that post for me. And you're absolutely right about the simple things bringing joy. When I have my little girl to help me make jam drops or even when we don our aprons together, there is that feeling of togetherness, of ease, and I guess that's real happiness.<BR/><BR/>You have such a nice way of saying things.<BR/><BR/>Have a great day<BR/>MelissaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-57542678262696642792008-06-13T08:55:00.000+10:002008-06-13T08:55:00.000+10:00Thank you for this timely post Rhonda. I was only ...Thank you for this timely post Rhonda. I was only thinking yesterday that part of the reason I forget things is because I never concentrate on one thing at a time. My mind is always elsewhere. I need to consciously slow down after a lifetime of trying to fit too many things in at once and be too many things to too many people. I believe that your concept is a principle, known in some religious philosophies as 'living in the moment'. <BR/>PS I loved your comment about the pixies. I think DS waits for them to pick up his dirty socks and wet towels.<BR/><BR/>CharisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-78369148145264375602008-06-13T08:44:00.000+10:002008-06-13T08:44:00.000+10:00Hi, Someone once said "Choose to be happy". I thin...Hi, Someone once said "Choose to be happy". I think this sums up your post. Cherriewillywagtailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04161501326916060091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-4203415234713925252008-06-13T08:43:00.000+10:002008-06-13T08:43:00.000+10:00The first time I made my own tomato sauce from my ...The first time I made my own tomato sauce from my own organically home grown tomatoes I thought, "What an exhaustive process! I'm not sure how I feel about doing this every year." Then my daughter came along and took way too much of it, then washed the excess sauce down the sink! To which I blurted out, "Don't you dare waste even a drop of that! This stuff is like gold! They're the best, sweetest tomatoes that I sweated over growing, picking and cooking half the DAY to make. It's just too precious!"<BR/><BR/>Then I realised how satisfied I felt with my efforts. The next year I was more familiar with the process and the task became easier, and the next year easier again. It no longer seemed like an exhaustive process to make and it spurred me on to discover other joys in making things. After reading your post on mending I now take real delight and satisfaction in mending, something I'd previously convinced myself I never would.<BR/><BR/>When I became willing to explore the processes that I'd previosly regarded as just drudgery I discovered something very different, real deep contentment. It seems to be something only found in the doing, not the telling. That feeling is hard to describe to anyone else, but you're so right, reminding myself about the satisfaction to be had from what I do is what makes it feel so worthwhile.<BR/><BR/>When I found the rewards in doing for myself I began to think about what 20th C life had been robbing me of and how complicit I'd become with it. There's no denying the great benefits from certain advances but we've "thrown the baby out with the bath water" way too much.<BR/><BR/>Regards, MarilynAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-86786193905465843702008-06-13T08:39:00.000+10:002008-06-13T08:39:00.000+10:00Yay for Rhonda - you express what so many folks th...Yay for Rhonda - you express what so many folks think, feel and aspire to so elegantly. There is so much joy and peace in a quieter, more lived life. So much more room to connect with life - with what you are doing, with people you love, with the things and the life around us. What a gift for everything we do to be an act of love. <BR/><BR/>warm hugs and smiles<BR/>duckieThe Duck Herderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12804351827909380328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-55806153665877997702008-06-13T08:27:00.000+10:002008-06-13T08:27:00.000+10:00These posts motivate me and encourage me to contin...These posts motivate me and encourage me to continue on the path we've chosen and for that I'm thankful to you, my friend!<BR/>Blessings,<BR/>NikiNikihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05943301163903634325noreply@blogger.com